Участник:The "frontline" - solution that was feared even before the opening is SON top?
Since the final list was announced, there has been a regret for the front line. Now that the competition has begun, this issue is becoming more prominent.
The Korean national soccer team, led by coach Jürgen Klinsmann, had a 2-2 draw with Jordan in its second Group E match of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation Qatar Asian Cup at Al Thumama Stadium in Doha, Qatar, at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday (Korea time). Korea maintained its second place in the group with one win and one draw from two matches.
On this day, South Korea launched a 4-4-2 formation. Son Heung-min and Cho Kyu-sung were at the front line, and Lee Jae-sung, Park Yong-woo, Hwang In-beom and Lee Kang-in built the midfield. Lee Ki-je, Kim Min-jae, Jung Seung-hyun, and Seol Young-woo were paired in the back, and Cho Hyun-woo wore goalkeeper gloves.
On the bench were Oh Hyun-kyu, Moon Sun-min, Yang Hyun-joon, Jung Woo-young, Hong Hyun-suk, Lee Soon-min, Park Jin-seop, Kim Young-kwon, Kim Ji-soo, Park Joo-sung, Kim Tae-hwan, and Song Bum-keun. Hwang Hee-chan, Kim Jin-soo, and Kim Seung-gyu were excluded from the list.
Against this, Jordan pulled out a 3-4-3 formation. Olwan, al-Naimat, Tamari were in the top three, while al-Mardi, Ayed, al-Rashdan and Haddad played as midfielders. Al-Azalin, al-Arab, and Nabis worked together in the back three. Aboulaira defended the goal.
Teams seeking to confirm their advance to the round of 16 have met. If Korea and Bahrain win this match, they can grab two wins and advance to the tournament regardless of the outcome of the remaining final match. Also, since they both won their first match, the winning team here is most likely to win the group.
Korea, which aims to win, has only changed one spot compared to the first game against Bahrain. Cho Hyun-woo replaced Kim Seung-gyu, who was eliminated due to injury, as the goalkeeper, and 10 field players started again.
Consequently, Korea did not smile. Son Heung-min scored the first goal with a penalty kick he garnered nine minutes into the first half, giving Korea the lead. However, Park Yong-woo's own goal in the 37th minute of the first half and a come-from-behind goal in the extra time of the first half were donated to Al Naimat.
Fortunately, Hwang In-beom finished the cutback given by Son Heung-min from the left in the 1st minute of extra time in the second half, and this was Al Arab's foot and an own goal, avoiding defeat. South Korea, which has one point, will now have its final group match against Malaysia.
What was disappointing in this game was the goal determination. Cho Kyu-sung, who started as a front-line striker, did not perform well. In particular, the finish was the most disappointing. Lee Ki-je's shot was blocked by the goalkeeper in the 10th minute of extra time in the first half. Cho Kyu-sung connected it with a shot, but it was not hit properly and missed the net.
In the 24th minute of the second half, the goalkeeper left the goal and blew the ball over the goalpost even though it was not properly positioned. In the previous situation, the assistant referee had already raised the flag and declared an offside foul, but it was still a scene that should have been finished.
In the end, Cho was replaced soon afterwards. Instead, Oh failed to make an impact. He attempted a turning shot near the penalty box line at 3 minutes into extra time in the second half when the score was balanced 2-2, but the ball flew over the crossbar.
Frontline strikers' performance in two consecutive matches left disappointing. In fact, there were concerns since the announcement of the team's final roster for the Asian Cup, that the team might lose some weight in the front line. Hwang Ui-jo will not be selected for the national team after being embroiled in a controversy over his personal life since June last year. The Korea Football Association (KFA) said, "We have decided not to select Hwang until we have a clear conclusion on the facts."
There were doubts about the coach's continued disregard for top scorer Joo Min-kyu (Ulsan HDC) since his appointment. However, at a press conference when the final roster was announced, Clinton showed no signs of concern, saying, "Both Cho Kyu-sung and Oh Hyun-kyu can adequately play their roles. Son can also play the role of a zero-top."
Cho was the most valuable player since Clinton took over as coach. He started eight matches while playing 10 A matches from March to November last year. He started in all matches from September. He also scored the winning goal in a match against Saudi Arabia in September, leading the team to clinch its first win.
Moreover, Qatar was the land of opportunity for Cho Kyu-sung. He made a strong impression at the 2022 Qatar World Cup last year. Cho scored multiple goals in the second group match against Ghana. It was the moment when the first multi-goal protagonist was born in the finals in Korean history. However, he has not been able to properly show his power as Korea's main striker so far.
Chances are high that Cho Kyu-sung or Oh Hyun-kyu will be given a chance until the final group match against Malaysia. "Plan A has no problem. Some players show outstanding performance in a competition, and others experience ups and downs," Clinton said after the match against Jordan.
If the situation does not improve, an alternative should be considered. Son Heung-min, who already completed verification in the Premier League, is the most realistic option. Son is filling the void left by Harry Kane, who left for Bayern Munich ahead of this season. He was deployed as a one-top at the match against Burnley in early September to achieve a hat trick, and has scored 12 goals in 20 PL matches so far. He will be able to play the role without any major problems.
However, in this case, we need a player who can disperse the concentration check on Son Heung-min or take advantage of the defense's focus on Son Heung-min to mark the end of the scoring. This is why I think of Hwang Hee-chan. Hwang Hee-chan is also outstanding on the PL stage this season. He has scored 10 goals in the league and is at the top of the scoring rankings. Although he is unable to play in the matches against Bahrain and Jordan due to injury, he is expected to be able to play in the final match or after the round of 16.